1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a flange press for straightening flanges of I-beams. In particular, the present invention is directed to such a flange press which is mobile and movably mounted to I-beam being straightened.
2. Description of Related Art
I-beams are used in various industries for variety of purposes including as structural members or as components in machinery. While some I-beams take their cross sectional shape through extrusion or rolling operations, many others, primarily wider flanged I-beams, take their shape through a fabrication process. In such applications, I-beam components are frequently welded together using conventionally known welding processes.
During the welding of the I-beam components, the flanges of the I-beams often become distorted due to the heat applied at the weld point where the web attaches to the flange. These distortions typically range from {fraction (1/16)}xe2x80x3 to xe2x85x9cxe2x80x3 depending on the thickness and grade of the material used for the I-beams. Of course, typically, I-beams are made of steel so the distortions depend on the thickness and grade of steel used. In addition, workpiece I-beams may also be distorted in that the flange is not perpendicular to the web of the workpiece I-beam. This may occur by improper fitting of the flange to the web or when different amount of heat is applied to the flange from each side of the web welds.
These distortions of the flanges are undesirable and may impede effective use of the I-beams, depending on the application. For instance, these distortions may impede the proper positioning of the other members or components to be welded to the I-beam.
Various devices have been devised to straighten distortions in I-beams that are caused by heat generated in the welding processes. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,780 to Ohmori et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,939 to Willems are noted for disclosing machines for straightening rolled beams such as I-beams. These references disclose stationary machines in which the I-beam are conveyed through the machines while being straightened where straightening rollers remove the distortions.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,496 to Dubie discloses a work straightening press with a floor supported bed upon which a ram is movably connected and actuated to straightening steel plates or structural assemblies placed on the bed.
Whereas the prior art teach devices for straightening distortions in I-beams caused by heat generated in the manufacturing processes, these devices have been found to be inadequate for use at a worksite where the welding of I-beams occur. As can be seen, the prior art devices are very large and not readily transportable to the worksite and thus, the distorted I-beams must be brought to the facility having such prior art straightening devices. In addition, the prior art devices require the workpiece I-beams to be lifted and mounted to the device so that the straightening can take place. Thus, significant amount of time, energy, and expense is typically expended to straighten the distortions using the prior art straightening devices.
In view of the foregoing, an advantage of the present invention is in providing a mobile flange press for straightening flanges of I-beams so that the flange press may be used at various worksites where the workpiece I-beams are located.
Another advantage of the present invention is in providing such a mobile flange press which is adapted to be placed on top of the flange of the workpiece I-beam that is to be straightened so that the workpiece I-beam need not be lifted onto the flange press, especially since many I-beams are very long and heavy.
Still another advantage of the present invention is in providing such a mobile flange press which is adapted to be moved on top of the flange as it straightens the flange of the workpiece I-beam so that the workpiece I-beam need not be moved as it is straightened.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is in providing such a mobile flange press that facilitates monitoring of the amount of straightening to the flange.
These and other advantages are attained by a mobile flange press adapted to be mounted on a flange of a workpiece I-beam and moved thereon. The mobile flange press includes at least one clamp that contacts an underside of the flange of the workpiece I-beam, at least one hydraulic cylinder adapted to apply vertical downward pressure on the flange to straighten the flange, and a drive mechanism for moving the mobile flange press along the flange of the workpiece I-beam to another portion of the flange.
In accordance with one embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a drive motor and rollers adapted to roll the mobile flange press along the flange of the workpiece I-beam. In this regard, the drive mechanism preferably includes a lift mechanism for lifting and lowering the mobile flange press relative to the flange of the workpiece I-beam to secure and unsecure the mobile flange press on the workpiece I-beam.
In another embodiment, the a plurality of hydraulic cylinders may be aligned along the length of the mobile flange press. In still another embodiment, the mobile flange press further includes a monitoring mechanism adapted to monitor the amount of straightening to the flange of the workpiece I-beam. In this regard, the monitoring mechanism may include a limit switch for indicating when the flange of the workpiece I-beam has been straightened a predetermined amount.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile flange press further includes a controller for controlling operation of the mobile flange press, the controller preferably controlling movement of the mobile flange along the flange of the workpiece I-beam. To allow maximum applicability, the mobile flange press preferably includes an adjustment mechanism in another embodiment for allowing dimensional adjustment of the mobile flange press to accommodate workpiece I-beams of varying dimensions. In addition, the mobile flange press may further include guides for limiting lateral movement of the mobile flange press relative to the workpiece I-beam. Furthermore, the mobile flange press may further include at least one lateral press adapted to exert a lateral force on a web of the workpiece I-beam, and a plum indicator for indicating inclination of the mobile flange press.
Another aspect of the present invention is in providing an improved method of straightening flanges of a workpiece I-beam including the steps of placing a mobile flange press on top of a first portion of the flange of the workpiece I-beam, securing the mobile flange press to the first portion of the flange of the workpiece I-beam, applying pressure to the first portion of the flange to straighten the first portion of the flange, unsecuring the mobile flange press from the first portion of the flange, moving the mobile flange press along the top of the flange to a second portion of the flange, securing the mobile flange press to the second portion of the flange of the workpiece I-beam, and applying at least pressure to the second portion of the flange to straighten the second portion of the flange.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the step of securing the mobile flange press may be attained by at least one clamp that contacts an underside of the flange. In another embodiment, the step of applying pressure may be attained by at least one hydraulic cylinder that applies vertical downward pressure on the flange. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of monitoring amount of straightening to the flange. The step of moving the mobile flange press along the top of the flange is preferably attained in yet another embodiment by a drive mechanism secured to the mobile flange press. In addition, the method may further include the steps of monitoring inclination of the mobile flange press and rotating the mobile flange press based on inclination of the flange press.
These and other advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.